A Return of Spring

The terrible snow storm three days ago buried all the flowers, and when the snow receded yesterday, they looked battered and humbled. But these flowers are tough and by this afternoon, all had rebounded, tall and sprightly. The clumps of small cupped daffodils seemed to sparkle and dance in the sunlight, and the apricot cupped flowers were showing their changing colors. Not all escaped harm: I lost an old apple tree that was in my "back 40"; it wasn't a tree that produced apples, but it is so sad to see this venerable tree knocked over on its side. One of my Duchess apple trees lost a large limb; it simply cracked off. These old trees have a limited lifespan and I have to accept that they may not all live as long as I do.




The nice day meant getting back to work in the garden, and not just for humans; the bees were very active, and happy to get their pollen wherever it might be, even in the lowly dandelion, which are vigorously blooming all over my lawn.




Because of the warmth, I removed the cold frame from the arugula and lettuce; I then planted more salad greens in the row. I also set out my onion plants and parsley. At this time of year, the garden is full of promise, the small plants growing showing a bit of green that will soon be food. The rows are laid out, but the soil is mostly bare of the lush growth that it will sustain later in the season. What a wonderful time in the garden, when all is expectation and hope, and the small leaves of new plants, the peas shoots or tips of asparagus, fill us with joy.